Posting Twenty
Image Study One - Feedback
Image 01 - Bay Farm 

Mad Mike - You had a good concept going, but failed in its execution.  The misty mood of the image was perfect for the subject. It’s just that the composition needed adjusting.  Moving the sun/moon to directly behind the tree would have brought more contrast to define the tree branches out rather than having them blend into the darker area of the sky.

Fotobug - This one would end up in my trash unless I had some serious time to work on it.

Jill L. – It looks like you had some interesting clouds in this picture. I would try to reframe it so the tree does not look so centered. Also, those branches on the left should be removed either by a crop or a clone. If I could have downloaded this I would have tried to open up the shadows.

What I did – Bay Farm was originally captured in Camera Raw so I adjusted the White Balance, Exposure, Clarity and the Vibrance before opening it in CS5. With a 12 x 10 crop, I was able to eliminate those trees that bothered Jill L. After a run through Curves, I picked up some color in that bleak sky. Yes, Mad Mike, I wish I had taken a few steps to the right to bring the sun behind the tree. I had plenty of room to move, too! Next, the image had an encounter with NIK Color Efex for its Contrast Color Range and Graduated Neutral Density filter which gave the sky this impressive glow. Finally, a brush with Noise Reduction and some sharpening.

Next week, we'll look closer at Image 02. You have time to join Mad Mike, Jill L., and Fotobug with your comments.


Thanks Mad Mike, Fotobug, and Jill L. for responding. . .